Vehicles typically have hinged hoods that open and close about an axis of rotation. In such arrangements it may be desirable to prevent an open hood from closing unintentionally, as this may cause serious injury.
Restraint arrangements have been devised to prevent hoods from closing unintentionally. One arrangement utilizes a slotted brace that attaches to the hood. A pin attached to the chassis slides within the slot on the brace as the hood closes. In this arrangement, the hood is prevented from closing since the slot is shaped so that the pin can only slide within the slot for a limited distance as the hood rotates about a hood axis of rotation toward a closed position. In order to close the hood, the brace is lifted with a lever, which releases the pin from the slot. A flange on the brace is used to return the lever to its previous position. This arrangement is difficult to adapt for use in certain models and designs due to large variations in the design of vehicle frame and variations in the hood and radiator mounting. Furthermore, since the hood experiences a certain amount of movement during operation, this arrangement may generate excessive wear on the restraint components, thus limiting their life and potentially changing the relative position of the restraint components, which may cause them to jam or not engage correctly.
In another arrangement, a gas spring is used to assist with the opening of the hood and to also prevent the hood from unintentionally closing. The spring includes a cylinder, a rod that slides within the cylinder, and a sleeve that slides around the cylinder. When the hood is fully open, the rod is fully extended, and the sleeve is sprung towards and against the end of the rod furthest from the cylinder and under the cylinder, thus restraining the rod from retracting within the cylinder and the hood from closing. In order to close the hood, the sleeve is aligned coaxially with the cylinder and held in place with a magnet. In this arrangement, the gas spring is relatively expensive and may become damaged if the hood is forced closed while the sleeve is extended.
In yet another arrangement, a cable is attached to the hood and a clasp is anchored to the chassis when the hood is open. The cable is provided with a length that becomes taut in the event the hood moves in the closed direction to thereby restrain the hood from closing. This arrangement requires an operator to attach the cable if he wants to restrain the hood.
The present invention is directed to an improved restraint device.